Pastoral Care, Health, Healing, and Wholeness in African Contexts

Methodology, Context, and Issues

Mucherera, Lartey

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781498221894
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

Pastoral theologians from Congo, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Zimbabwe address, in this book, the issues of leadership,Ubuntu(community), gender-based violence, political violence, healing, and deliverance faced by pastors and ministers in African contexts today. Drawing on biblical, theological, social scientific, and cultural contextual perspectives, these African Christians offer much needed insights to assist in the care and counseling of persons towards healing, health, and well-being.

Chapter 1

African Spirituality that Shapes the Concept of Ubuntu

Prof. M. J. S. Masango

University of Pretoria

“The spiritual life is the whole of one’s life insofar as it is motivated and determined by the Holy Spirit, the spirit of Jesus.”1

African spirituality shapes persons in such a way that they grow into the concept of Ubuntu (humanness). In other words, an integrated African spirituality is a spirituality in which who we are, and what we do, are intimately related. The process of an African spiritualist is also developed within the village. Mbiti reminds us that, “It takes a whole village to raise a child.”2 In short, relationship is part of the development of African spirituality. In this chapter I shall be exploring how elders within the village become leaders, and towards the end of their life journey, how they become teachers and good ancestors, especially to the younger generation. It is important to note that those who are good (while living), and are able to pass their knowledge and wisdom to others, also become good ancestors when they die.

The great wonderful gift that God has given to people is the gift of life. We are, therefore, charged to manage and take care of our lives. In Africa, self-management is closely related to one’s world. In other words, how one lives his or her life is part of the management of this gift. In short, self-management is all about the living of the highest quality of human life, as well as being able to enjoy life in a positive Ubuntu style. Bhengu had this to say about life lived within the style of Ubuntu:

“The enjoyment of life implicates that a person is aware of the value which gives joy to life and how to pursue this, especially being the master of life, as a person in the milieu of community and society.”3

The enjoyment of life is part of living as much as Ubuntu is part of humanity. In fact, one grows with the above concept from early childhood, especially in rural African villages. As people grow and relate to each other they are taught by the elderly to pass on what they learn to another person. This is the beginning of caring for each other. The notion of caring manifests itself in the respectful and humble way elders and superiors are greeted and addressed by young ones. This kind of Ubuntu is passed on from one generation to the other. It will not be wrong to say that a human being is nothing, but humanness or Umuntu (a Zulu word for a person) is shared by many African tribes. This concept is enhanced through the creation story in the Bible. In the story, human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. Genesis captures this beautifully:

“So God created man (sic) in his own image, in the image of God he createdhim, male and female he created them.”4

In an African village the image and likeness of God is revered, and when you add the concept of Ubuntu, you must also connect it to African spirituality, which forms values and good character in a person. Their concepts are part and parcel of humanity from the beginning of the creation story. For example, Hermes (from Egypt) wrote about these concepts, and Pythagoras continued writing and developing the ideas further as he studied in Africa. Later on, some of the African philosophers (Soclits and Onuphis) taught Hermes about the ‘inner values and African concepts of humanness,’ which were given to human beings by God. An African writer by the name of Koka connected the above ideas by developing the concept of respect and connecting the ideas to African spirituality. For example he says:

“The word ‘Ntate’ (father) is used to address an old man or respectedfather figure in the village or community.”5

When children or young ones call the word Ntate (father), they are showing a sign of respect to that adult person, and also see him as the one who shapes them into good citizens. As children continue to grow in the village, they are then shaped in respecting people, and the concept of Ubuntu becomes part of their life. Broodryk reminds us that:

“Man (sic) was declared “Human” as soon as the element of “divine” (image) goodness (likeness) was instilled in him. This divine element that transformed man (matter) into a human being was nothing but a humanness, “ubuntu” that manifested the “Image and likeness” of God in each individual person of the human race.”6

Broodryk points out that it was the spark of life that transformed human beings into living souls and made them different from the rest of created beings. Hence, we contain the main consistency of the wholeness of life. Once again he reminds us that this concept of Ubuntu was there from ancient times, and it never ceased to exist within the circle of the human race of well known ancient philosophers, who in turn were scholars of the Hermetic Philosophy, theology, and science. This was based on the “logos” (creative word) and the doctrine that was taught by the African priests of Hermes in Egypt. For example, Pythagoras was one of those who studied this concept for twenty-two years in the University of Heliopilis under two Egyptian high priests—Socht and Onuiphis. Their theory was centered around inner-value and dignity of the human personality which is nothing else but “humanness.” The summary of their theory was further developed by Savory who finally said that:

“God (supreme God) did not only endow man (sic) with his goodness” but also equally inseminated this divine element into all human beings.”7

The above quotation reminds the author of the connection between creation (that is, image of God) and the gift of life (breath, breathed in all human beings), which brings us closer to the concept of Ubuntu, and that leads into deep African Spirituality. As beings we are always searching for a higher being. The question to ask is, what is African spirituality? Concept of African Spirituality has become a common word in modern life. Current interest in spirituality is evident both at popular and scholarly levels. This theme is heard from radios and televisions. These days it is also shared in Africa in seminars, conferences, universities, classes, course work, and curricula. Modern society is re-visiting this old concept once again in order to correct the values and dignity of Ubuntu that is lost. Why? South Africans lost their concept of Ubuntu during apartheid, when they fought for their liberation. During those days, life lost its meaning, especially the concept of the image and likeness of God, which kept them respecting each other. In the new democracy, with the emphasis on human dignity and human rights, the community is trying to recover old concepts that kept villagers and people respecting each other. The above has given us reason why we should re-evaluate or re-examine the concept of Ubuntu.

In the new democracy, people are in need of, or are searching for, a deeper meaning of life. The main question to ask is how the church or religious institutions can address the spiritual hunger that is experienced by the nation in South Africa. It is also important to note with interest that many African people are now tracing back their African roots. For example, after the 1976 riots, a lot of parents started naming as well as re-naming their children African names. They departed from naming and using English names. This concept is also seen in the changing of the names of cities such as Louis Trichard to Makhado, Pretoria to Tshwane, etc. Listening to the radio one could hear the efforts of whites who are also learning how to call or pronounce different African names while struggling during radio discussions. The above changes are examples of the shifting of old concepts, of western ways of thinking, into new African ways of life. On the other hand, the church is still struggling to address these issues of change. The struggles will continue as the new democracy grows. The result of these changes caused one of the Presbyterian churches to overture the General Assembly in 1999. The problems that they were seeking to address were on the subject of African spirituality and ancestor veneration. Our white members were questioning the above problem, especially the issue of cult and idolatry. They felt the church was too liberal and accepting of everything that was African. The debates were high as African people were trying to define ways of recapturing their Africanness. The question of African spirituality and ancestor veneration as a cult became a crucial topic for African delegates. African people centered their arguments on the respect of the dead. They argued that the respect of the dead was an important way of showing signs of respect to leaders who lived a good life. The argument was based on the concept of Ubuntu and not on ancestor worship. The African delegates found themselves caught in areas of dualism. This concept became part of their lives, because of Christianity. They found themselves practicing the African way of life, and also keeping Christian principles ...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: African Spirituality that Shapes the Concept of Ubuntu
• Chapter 2: Pastoral Authority and Responsibility
• Chapter 3: Healing in Contemporary African Christian Contexts in the Face of the HIV & AIDS Pandemic
• Chapter 4: Conjunction of Gender Violence and HIV/AIDS with Implications for Assess­ment and Intervention in Pastoral Care
• Chapter 5: Healing Postcolonial Trauma in the African Experience
• Chapter 6: The Aftermath of Violence
• Chapter 7: Deliverance and Delivery
• Contributors
• Bibliography